NEW YORK, APRIL 22 – Inspired by the genius of one of the greatest artists and scientists of humanity from whom it takes its name, aerospace giant Leonardo “embraces the concept of ‘scientific citizenship’ which means sharing knowledge, technological skills and innovation with the community we represent and protect”, said Renata Mele, Vice President for Sustainability of the Italian company which is also a leader of the Global Compact Network Italy and the UN Global Compact.
Mele was the guest of CommITted Enterprises, the English-language podcast curated by the Italian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York that shares Italian experiences of sustainability from the private sector. With around 50,000 employees in 106 locations around the world, Leonardo has long made sustainability one of the pillars of its work, being listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index since 2010, considered for the second year in a row by the United Nations one of the leaders of the Global Compact. Over 50% of Leonardo’s investments are targeted at projects that impact on the achievement of the SDGs. Its CO2 emissions have already been cut by 33% compared to 2019 and is currently working for the most ambitious target of a 40% reduction by 2030. This commitment goes beyond the company and extends to the 4,000 Italian SMEs that are part of its supply chain.
The Global Compact is the UN Global Pact that encourages companies around the world to adopt sustainable policies, respecting a development model that generates value for the community, making the public aware of the results of the actions taken. It includes more than 15,000 companies from all over the world, including more than 400 based in Italy.
Melo explained that technological innovation allows to achieve sustainability objectives while at the same time pursuing development in the aerospace and defense sectors: “The aerospace and defence sectors are catalysts of technology, and technologies can be ‘enabling factors’ for sustainability”. Leonardo’s approach is to measure precisely, through data processing, the impact that corporate strategies have on environmental, social and sustainability issues, what is called the ESG (environmental, social, governance) strategy.
One of Leonardo’s projects in line with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda is Earth Observation Technology, a data collection system using information from satellites or drones that provides important tools for monitoring the environment or protecting historical and archaeological sites. Clean Sky and Clean Aviation are two European programmes aimed at de-carbonising the aviation system by coordinating air traffic in order to optimise its consumption. Leonardo also has a network of ten Labs, entirely devoted to research and development in the field of electrification, digitization and artificial intelligence, and the use of alternative materials for aircraft construction.
2021 was a focal year for Leonardo’s sustainable strategy, which, in addition to investments in SDGs, saw a 33% reduction in CO2 emissions from operations, with the goal of reaching 40% by 2030. One of the most important targets, however, is the inclusion of gender in the scientific-technological sector, which currently accounts for 19% of female representation. In addition, Leonardo is very attentive to global production chains, where it tries as much as possible to interface with small and medium-sized enterprises in the supply of goods and services, 4000 of which only in Italy. This choice – said Mele – has positive implications not only in the social sphere but also in that of the digitalization of partner companies, one of the central themes of the Italian PNRR as well as of European and UN policies.(@giorgiodelgallo)
